Higher Education

We partner with academic institutions at the forefront of the premiere student experience to make systems shine. Our thinking transforms that experience as higher education becomes more personal, experiential, outcomes-focused, technology-rich and data-driven.

2Plus2 Partners is my go-to team for major projects. They can do everything I need from project management and business analysis to systems configuration and design. They’ve also been wonderful creative thought partners over the years. Their deep experience in student and academic services means we hit the ground running every time. Whenever I hire 2Plus2 to work on a discovery, the project gets funded; when I bring them in to work on an implementation, the projects are always delivered successfully. There’s no job too big or small for this team, and most importantly, they’re the most productive and conscientious consultants I’ve ever worked with.

AVP for Student and Academic Services and University Registrar, Stanford University

The roles we play...

Business Analyst

As business analysts, we focus on defining needs and recommending solutions. We use many tools to document the journey — including in-depth interviews, process flows, use cases, user stories, and detailed business requirements — that become the centerpiece of your RFI/RFP. We review and amend to ensure a common understanding of the solution across key stakeholders. We then survey and engage with the vendor community to find the best solution for you. Part of our recommendation can include a solid implementation plan and budget helping ensure your project gets funded and succeeds.

Project Manager

As project managers, we are concerned with completing projects on time and on budget, and ultimately, the success or failure of your project. We are up to the task though, since we are experts in initiating, executing, managing timelines, planning budgets, allocating resources, mitigating risks, and identifying the resources to get projects done. With us you get lots of transparency and will always know the status of your project. We can run meetings, document outcomes, coordinate external resources, and ultimately make sure everyone knows the status of your project.

Data & Graphics

As visual experts, we create the package of materials needed to communicate with stakeholders and others in building a common understanding of the project goals and generating excitement. We interpret complex data into meaningful graphics to tell the story in an approachable way. Graphics can then be used in slide decks, status reports, and final reports creating a consistent graphic story for your project. We are expert at taking the process and artifacts of a large project and creating communications pieces that promote your project and the positive impact it will have on students, faculty and staff.

Who we partner with...

Things we do...

Show all Project management Business analysis Vendor evaluation Implementation Graphic expert

UC Berkeley

Student Financial Aid Process Mapping

End-to-end process flow including 22 shadow systems
As is system and data flow visualization
Iterative collaborative workflow refinement
Student Financial Aid system documented in preparation for the new system

Stanford University

Curriculum Management Discovery

27 in-person interviews, 40 hours audio, 162 pages of notes
7 schools, 10 departments, 2 IDP, Overseas, Ways, Decision Support
Helped make the case for a central, standard system
Standards recommendation allowing variation per department
Identified top vendors, conducted RFI assessments and onsite demos resulting in unanimous recommendations

Kuali Student

Project Multi-Year Design Team

open source, distributed, development consortium of higher education institutions building their own software, all the way from curriculum management to scheduling
Joined UC Berkeley as part of the KS Functional Team, focused on the development of Kuali Systems on the Core Analysis and Service Design Teams
Requirements documentation for Curriculum Management and Course Offering
Key member of Product Delivery Team for Course
Participated in Enrollment Development for Course Offering and Course Registration and Liaison team with Kuali Student Accounts

UC Berkeley

Facilities Management System Replacement

Deep dive into existing homegrown applications to understand features and dependencies
User surveys, interviews and “something” sessions to identify requirements
Formal RFP generation, vendor identification, scoring and evaluation resulting in defensible recommendations

UC Berkeley

Housing & Summer Conferencing Vendor Selection and Implementation

Comprehensive evaluation and documentation of existing and desired capabilities
Identification of integration points with support systems (Dining)
Complete RFP process through recommendation
Based on success and knowledge of functional requirements, assisted implementation

Stanford University

Executive Presentation Design and Socialization Strategy

Communication package for Connected Curriculum project including visually-rich slide decks, professional report design, and digital asset management
Visual interpretation of complex data for consensus-building and project adoption
On-demand source for all graphic production ensuring design continuity across project artifacts

Stanford University

Graduate Admissions Discovery

Developed capability statements using initial analysis artifacts across six process phases
Validated and refined with campus-wide representatives
Qualified leading vendors through campus users and peer institutions
Conducted RFI to explore alternatives
Implementation plan and consultancy to support bringing solutions to Stanford

UC Berkeley

Academic Guide Content Strategy and Interface Design

User interface mock-ups showing interaction for hand-off to development partner
Color palette extension and graphic exploration of creative concepts for course catalog
Catalog content design for information drill-down, starting with image icons drilling down into detail tables